Mesut Ozil has shown his generosity once more after donating £80,000 to help Muslims that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic over Ramadan.
The Arsenal midfielder – who plays for Germany but is of Turkish descent – will help provide food and aid for 16,000 Muslims throughout the holy month which began on April 23.
Charity organisation Turkish Red Crescent will now be able to give iftar, the evening meal which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast with, to families across Turkey and Syria with 2,000 packages expected to be donated.
Kerem Kinik, of Turkish Red Crescent, said: “At the Red Crescent, we stand by those in need 365 days a year.
“Of course, we do this thanks to donations made by philanthropist friends who follow our work. As donations increase, we will be able to reach even more people in need.
“Thanks to our brother Mesut, we will be able to deliver packages provided to people in need – delivering them as soon as possible.”
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Ozil has been one of Arsenal’s highest-earning players after signing from Real Madrid for £42.5million six years ago.
And the devout Muslim secretly pays for 1,000 kids’ operations and feeds 100,000 homeless people.
But eyebrows were raised after it emerged Ozil was one of three players who did not accept Arsenal’s proposal of a squad-wide pay cut to help them financially amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Ozil is willing to reduce his salary in the future but only after the financial impact of the pandemic to the game becomes clearer, according to the Daily Mirror.
Arsenal had confirmed yesterday they were the first Premier League club to agree wage cuts with their squad.
Except for an alleged trio, the rest of the players will take a hit of 12.5 per cent until March 2021.